The Vancouver Table Hockey Club Opened the 2014 Season in fine style, today, with last season's VTHC Cup Finalists playing a seventh game Gold Medal Series overtime to decide who would take the early medal points lead. It was another chapter in the "Klotz versus Froome" table hockey saga that the city of Vancouver only knows too well!

Dominic Froome would win today's overtime thriller with a clean LW to C high goal that would exact a small level of revenge for Klotz's 2013 VTHC Cup victory over Froome that also needed seven games to be decided last November. Today's Gold Medal series was fast, intense and both players would hold the momentum, at different junctures, with Froome grabbing it early; going up 2 games to 0 and then 3 games to 1 before Klotz would battle all the way back to tie the series and then tie game seven, 3-3, late to force today's dramatic overtime. Froome's deciding goal was scored :35 seconds into the overtime.

The other VTHC players watched the series with glee including two VTHC rookies who made their debuts today and displaying some natural talent for table hockey in the process. Clay Imoo and Jason McBurney would each win 2 games of their 12 round robin battles to serve notice that these guys can be trouble in the near future for the more established members of the Club. Members like Paul Lobley, who today went a career best round robin record of 8-3-1, realizing that his practise and struggles and time spent on the Stiga game have paid off moving forward.

Lobley, Steve Crawford and Rob Adamovsky all enjoyed the fruits of their Stiga Table Hockey labours, today, with games against players with less Stiga experience than themselves. What the VTHC saw today was the creation of a new VTHC middle Class of players who can compete, battle anyone tough and threaten the top dogs most times out. For all of these improving players Stamina is the biggest obstacle for these guys to strengthen in order to find table hockey success in the late going of VTHC Club dates and any out of town tournaments such as Edmonton in September.

Steve Crawford, who went a career best round robin of 6-5-1, did not compete in today's medal playoffs due to a prior scheduling obligation. Crawford can boast that he was the only player to beat Warren Klotz in the round robin too. A 3-1 upset that showed the Club that these guys are capable of knocking off the top players and that it isn't the shock, it once was, when it happens. A total of 6 round robin games were decided by the VTHC seven goal mercy rule today. 5 of these games featured rookies learning the Stiga form of table hockey.

Today's round robin also saw Warren Klotz score a whopping 66 goals while only giving up 14, in 12 games played, as he went 11-1-0 to jump out to the early season VTHC President's Trophy race lead. Klotz is only 43 goals short of scoring his 4,000th all time VTHC career goal. Likely to occur on April 26th. (The date of the next VTHC Club outing.) Here were the 2014 VTHC season opener round robin numbers on the day:

*VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees in full for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, April 26th at 12:30pm sharp.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Warren Klotz played his 900th all time VTHC regular season game, his 700th all time VTHC Stiga game and scored his 3100th all time VTHC Stiga goal.
-Dominic Froome scored his 1800th all time VTHC Stiga goal, won his 100th all time VTHC Medal Points Playoff game and scored his 600th all time Medal Points playoff goal.
-Rob Adamovsky won his 1st ever VTHC Medal Points Playoff Series.
-Jason McBurney recorded his 1st VTHC win and 1st VTHC Medal Points Playoff win.
-Clay Imoo recorded his 1st VTHC win.

Great to hear that the VTHC has two new members. Johnny Canuck is right when saying the biggest obstacle for the new and improving players in achieving (greater) success is stamina ...against yourself, who can manage your energy seemingly on an even keel ...and Warren, who is cranked all afternoon.

Warren Klotz, who scored his 4000th all time VTHC regular season goal today, won the Gold Medal in VTHC 2014 April action. The 4000th goal opened up the scoring in round 12 of games of a 4-2 victory over long time VTHC rival Harvey Yee. Yee, having quite a day of it in the Lower Tier went 10-2-1 with the softer round robin schedule of games.

Warren Klotz would win today's Gold Medal series over Dominic Froome with a 4 games to 2 victory. Two of Klotz's Gold Series wins by virtue of overtime. Including the series clinching goal, a LW to C high pass and shoot to the short side of the net. Klotz would go 4 for 4 in medal point playoff overtime games to be the "King of Clutch" when it mattered the most on this day in VTHC history. Klotz picking up the maximum 17 medal points to tie Froome for the overall lead in medal points with 31 with Klotz being granted the top rank via tie breaker by virtue of a better overall goal differential per game average. (Klotz +3.36, Froome +2.52.)

William "The Hurricane" Henne would win the Bronze Medal in his 2014 VTHC season debut. A much practised and today well versed Stiga player, William gave Froome a lot to handle in today's best of seven series before finally submitting to Froome 4 games to 2. Froome out scoring Henne 21-17, overall in the series and needed overtime to win game 5. For William Henne it was his best ever showing in the VTHC going 7-5-1-.538 in the round robin and doing so playing the tougher Upper Tier round robin schedule. William scooped up 15 medal points on the day to take 5th place in the overall 2014 VTHC Medal points standings.

A terrific day of table hockey battles was enjoyed by a total of eight players, with four of them, including William Henne, making their 2014 VTHC debuts today. The other three being Andrew Capeau, Harvey Yee and Rick Thompson. All players with solid table hockey savy and all players that have turned to Stiga as their organized table hockey "game of choice" moving forward. Every player set at least one milestone, today, as seen below today's VTHC report.

The round robin saw many thrills and spills with Harvey Yee having an excellent day between the pipes giving up the day's best 1.69 goals against per game and also taking home 3 shutouts. Froome would also find 3 shutouts to take sole possession of the VTHC shutout race with 7 shutouts on the season. Here were the round robin numbers on the day:
(W L OTL PTS GF GA GFPG GAPG SO)
Upper Tier:
1)Dominic Froome 10-3-0-20-57-29-4.38-2.23-3
3)Warren Klotz 10-3-0-20-68-36-5.23-2.77-1
4)William Henne 7-5-1-15-51-42-3.92-3.23-1
7)Paul Lobley 3-9-1-7-38-62-2.92-4.77-0

*VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, May 24th at 12:30pm sharp.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Warren Klotz scored his 4000th all time VTHC regular season goal and won his 100th all time VTHC medal points playoff game.
-Dominic Froome scored his 2400th all time VTHC regular season goal and his 1900th all time VTHC Stiga goal.
-Harvey Yee scored his 1400th all time VTHC regular season goal.
-William Henne scored his 800th all time VTHC regular season goal and won his first ever VTHC medal today.
-Rick Thompson scored his 300th all time VTHC regular season goal.
-Paul Lobley scored his 300th all time VTHC regular season goal.
-Rob Adamovsky scored his 100th all time VTHC regular season goal.
-Andrew Capeau won his first ever VTHC regular season game and played his first ever VTHC medal points playoff game.

The Vancouver Table Hockey Club has a new President! Paul Lobley is a unanimous choice to step up and become the new VTHC President due to his well practised hosting of the East Vancouver Table Hockey organizations. Paul was chosen with the sudden departure of outgoing VTHC President Warren Klotz who's decided to spend more time on other priorities in life and less time on the promotional side of the Vancouver Table Hockey scene.

Paul Lobley, along with VTHC Vice President Dominic Froome, see the opportunity to bring together a broader group of players, moving forward, saying: "The opportunity to increase our ITHF ranking point weight, in Western Canada, is in front of us. The work of Warren Klotz has positioned us well for the immediate future. We're lucky to have had a professional set up to enjoy as players at the old Klotz Arena."

Paul Lobley looks to bring his "East Van Table Hockey" players to the already established group of VTHC players to form a deeper pool of more diverse personalities as part of an objective to see an increase in the number of organized Stiga Table Hockey players in Vancouver and all of British Columbia. Lobley was quoted as saying: "The wide range of personalities, brought together into one table hockey objective, will be most interesting. It should be an excellent foundation for all of our VTHC players to improve their Stiga skills and I hope that more of our players will travel to more tournaments to accelerate the growth in ITHF ranking point weight in Western Canada."

For Warren Klotz, who's also exiting the VTHC as a player, May 24th will mark the first ever VTHC Club date that Warren Klotz is not playing. He's the all time leader in just about every category of VTHC Stiga and Classic Table Hockey in Vancouver. Below are Warren Klotz's all time VTHC career stats:

All Time Record of All VTHC Games Played:
(GP-W-L-OTL/T-.PCT-VTHC CUPS)
Warren Klotz 1167-802-307-58-.687-4

These numbers are difficult to fathom for some of the newer VTHC players. Warren Klotz is in a league of his own. He'll remain a table hockey player with a less intensive time crunch and could be on his way to Edmonton this September. The possibility of a smaller and more exclusive table hockey club endeavour could be on the horizon, for Klotz, too. Quite possibly as part of the needed frame work to see a British Columbian Stiga Championship event take shape in the future. "With Victoria considering a club of their own the player numbers could see an ITHF ranking points bonanza in the future for the province of British Columbia," says VTHC VP Froome.

The VTHC Presidential tandem of Lobley/Froome hope to be key contributors to this table hockey objective moving forward. Also the addition of a second VTHC Vice President appears to be on the horizon. William "The Hurricane" Henne appears to be the added VP candidate front runner in seeing a "three man committee" formed to vote on all issues pertaining to the future operations of the VTHC. More may not be known until the conclusion of the 2014 VTHC season in November. The VTHC is back in action on Saturday, May 24th at Lobley Arena, on the East side, at 1pm sharp.

Early indications are leaning towards a 6 player tilt with Matt Ross and Chris Varila making their 2014 VTHC season debuts. A full report of the VTHC will be completed by early Sunday. Stay tuned table hockey fans!

POINTS SYSTEM
The Vancouver Table Hockey Club plays a round robin + playoffs every outing, crowning gold, silver and bronze medallists each time out. We'll tabulate a season long medal points system to determine the VTHC playoff seedings for every VTHC season. Gold medal points, awarded, equal the Club date player number X2 + 1 for attendance. (One point less, per player, all the way down the line.)

Overall Medal Points Tie Breaking Procedure:
1) Player with most gold medals gets the higher seed.
2) If players are still tied: player with most silver medals gets the higher seed.
3) If players are still tied: player with the most bronze medals gets the higher seed.
4) If players are still tied then player with the better overall Goal Differential Per Game Average (GDPGA) gets the higher seed.
5) If a three way tie. Player with most golds (or silvers or bronzes or higher overall GDPGA) gets higher seed. Then remaining two players go most golds (or silvers or bronzes or higher overall GDPGA) to determine who gets the higher seed between the two.
6)Same process would break a four way tie if that miracle should ever occur.

One Group Round Robins: are used for 4, 5 & 7 player club dates.

Two Tier Round Robins: are used to break 6, 8 & 10 club date player numbers into two groups by virtue of the VTHC overall round robin winning percentages. Higher ranked into "Upper Tier" and lower ranked into "Lower Tier" groups. (Winner of "Lower Tier" automatically seeded #2 for the day's medal round playoffs.) VTHC Opening Day will use prior season's President's Trophy Standings (overall round robin winning percentages) plus add any new players, in order of last name alphabetical order, below the prior season's President's Trophy ranked VTHCers, to create the opening day tier groupings if needed. Any returning players, who don't play the VTHC season opener, will have their prior VTHC season's overall round robin winning percentages used to place them into the appropriate tier.

Three Tier Round Robins: are used to break 9 player club dates into 3 tiers. Top three ranked into Upper Tier. Middle three ranked into Middle Tier. Bottom three ranked into Lower Tier. (Winner of Upper Tier automatically seeded #1. Winner of Middle Tier automatically seeded #2. Winner of Lower Tier automatically seeded #3.) The remaining players (#4 through #9) seeded in order of round robin points.

After each VTHC player has played their season opener then their rolling overall round robin winning percentages will be used to place players into the correct tier for the remainder of any such regular season. If new or guesting players, deemed as "top ranked" by both the VTHC President & Vice President(s), are on hand then they'll be placed into the top tier for any such scheduled VTHC club date. Beyond any such season debut these "top ranked" players will then use their overall round robin winning percentages to be correctly tiered for the remainder of any such VTHC Club dates in the current VTHC season.

VTHC Round Robin & Medal Point Playoffs Organizational Plan:
4 Players: One group. Players play each other X4. = 12 game round robin per player. Seeded in order of round robin points or tie breakers.
Playoffs: Semi Finals: 1vs4 and 2vs3: Best of 5's. Semi Final losers play the Bronze: Best of 3. Semi Final winners play the Gold: Best of 7.

5 Players: One group. Players play each other X3. = 12 game round robin per player. Seeded in order of round robin points or tie breakers.
Playoffs: Quarter Finals: 4vs5: Best of 3. Quarter Finals winner advances to Semi Finals: Reseeded 1vs? 2vs3: Best of 5's. Semi Final losers play the Bronze: Best of 3. Semi Final winners play the Gold: Best of 7.

6 Players: Two tier. Top 3 play each other X3. Bottom 3 play each other X3. Top 3 play each of the bottom 3 X1. = 9 game round robin per player.
Playoffs: Upper tier winner is seeded 1. Lower tier winner is seeded 2. 3 through 6 seeded in order of round robin points or tie breakers. Gold Quarter Finals: 3vs6, 4vs5: Best of 3's. Gold Quarter Final winners advance to Gold Semi Finals. 1vs? & 2vs?: Best of 5's. Gold Quarter Final losers advance to Bronze Semi Finals round. Gold Semi Finals losers advance to Bronze Semi Finals round. Round robin seedings used to determine Bronze Semi Finals series match ups. (Best of 3's.) Winners of Bronze Semi Finals advance to the Bronze Final: Best of 3. Gold Semi Finals winners play the Gold Final: Best of 7.

7 Players: One group. Players play each other player X2. = 12 game round robin per player. Players seeded in order of round robin points or tie breakers. Playoffs: #1 gets a bye. Quarter Finals: 2vs7, 3vs6, 4vs5: Best of 3's. Winners reseeded into Semi Finals: Best of 5's. Semi Final losers play the Bronze: Best of 3. Semi Final winners play the Gold: Best of 7.

9 Players: Three tier. Top 3 play each other X2. Middle 3 play each other X2. Lower 3 play each other X2. Players play all outer tier players X1 = 10 game round robin per player. Playoffs: Upper tier winner is #1. Middle tier winner is #2. Lower tier winner is #3. All other players (4 through 9) seeded in order of round robin points or tie breakers. Preliminary Round: 8vs9: Best of 3. Winner advances to Quarter Finals: 1vs8or9, 2vs7, 3vs6, 4vs5: Best of 3's. Winners advance to Semi Finals. Best of 5's. Semi Final losers play the Bronze: Best of 3. Semi Final winners play the Gold. Best of 7.

10 Players: Two tier. Top 5 play each other X2. Bottom 5 play each other X2. = 8 game round robin per player.
Playoffs: Upper Tier winner is seeded 1. Lower tier winner is seeded 2. (3 through 10) seeded in order of round robin points or tie breakers. Preliminary Round: 7vs10 & 8vs9: Best of 3's. Preliminary Round winners advance to Quarter Finals. 1vs?, 2vs?, 3vs6, 4vs5. Best of 3's. Quarter Final winners advance to Semi Finals. Reseeded. Best of 5's. Semi Final winners play the Gold: Best of 7. All series losers form an 8 player Bronze Medal Playoff using their order of round robin finish to form Quarter Final, Semi Final and Bronze Final match ups. All Bronze Series: Best of 3's. Bronze winner to be determined before the Gold Medal Series is played.

Round Robin Tie Breaking Procedure:
1)Player with most round robin wins.
2)Player with most wins in the tied players' head to head results on the day.
3)Player with the better round robin goal differential on the day.
4)First player to a goal.

In November: VTHC Cup playoffs to only use "best of seven" series to determine two eventual VTHC Cup Finalists. The Finalists will then play a "best of seven" series to crown each season's VTHC Cup champion. VTHC players, who attended at least 1 VTHC outing, are eligible to play for the VTHC Cup. VTHC players, who play at least 5 club outings, in a season, are eligible to win all other VTHC Awards.

VTHC Cup Playoff Plan: mirrors the VTHC player number playoff plans with the exception of a "best of 7" series approach to all series utilized until the VTHC Cup is won. Medal Points standings, in medal points order, determine the playoff seedings for all players, in attendance, to play for the VTHC Cup. Higher medal point seeds gain home ice advantage for any playoff series which includes higher choice of game and then side to begin best of seven battles. (2,2,1,1,1 format.) Thus VTHC regular season attendance is rewarded and playoff match ups are a wild card scenario in November.

"Paul Lobley Arena" opened it's doors in fine style, today with 6 VTHCers on hand to see what kind of a host newly appointed VTHC President Paul Lobley can be. The day was a blast with two tiers doing battle to see who would win the inaugural Gold Medal at Lobley Arena.

The winner was Dominic Froome, who went 12-2-0 in the round robin, eventually taking on William "The Hurricane" Henne in the Gold Medal series. Froome won the Gold series 4 games to 1, only allowing 11 goals in those 5 games. Froome scored 10 center fintar goals, in today's round robin, for a season total of 31 round robin fintar goals scored on the year. Fintars being a part of Froome's game that's been practised regularly in recent months. For Henne a VTHC Silver Medal was his first ever so the thrill of victory was not far behind the agony of defeat on this day in VTHC history. William really has worked hard on his defensive game as he lowered his goals against average, today, down to a lowly 2.78. William is a player on the rise in the VTHC. He went a solid 9-5-0 in today's round robin and has a respectable 16-10-1 round robin record, overall, in 2014.

Two players made their 2014 VTHC season debuts today. They were the experienced Matt Ross, who had an all time VTHC regular season record of 203-161-22, on all games ever played, and an all time VTHC Stiga regular season record of 143-129-14 heading into action today. He's no stranger to playing table hockey at a high level and it showed at times today too. He even pulled off the ultra rare goalie goal that was with intent and a shot that hit the back of the net with force. This happened in a game against Dominic Froome fairly early in the day.

Matt would, later, end up winning his first ever VTHC Bronze Medal after sweeping Rick Thompson 2 games to 0 in the Quarter Finals and then meeting old rival Dominic Froome in the Semi Finals. Froome would take that series 3 games to 0 before Matt would find vindication defeating Paul Lobley 2 games to 0 for the Bronze today.

Matts only disaster was trying to play Stiga Table Hockey with KC and the Sunshine Band booming the Lobley Arena sound system during a shocking 4-3 loss to Rick Thompson. All told the music was all that mattered to Matt for what seemed like an eternity 70's style!

The other 2014 player debut was played by Chris Varila, who hasn't played in the VTHC since the 2005 season. Chris had an all time VTHC regular season record of 7-45-5 heading into action today all on the Stiga Table Hockey game. Varila can defensively battle players tough and has begun to improve his offensive game during East Van Table Hockey sessions in recent weeks and today rattled off 3 round robin wins going 3-11-0 with all three of his wins over Rick Thompson. One a 6-5 overtime thriller.

*Two VTHC players departed the 2014 VTHC season after the April club date. They were: Warren Klotz, who amassed 31 medal points, went 21-4-0-.840 in the round robins, scored 134 goals for and 50 goals against with 5 shutouts while winning both a gold and a silver medal. Also Rob Adamovsky amassed 22 medal points, went 5-16-4-.200 in the round robins, scored 55 goals for and 108 goals against with 1 shutout.

*VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the medal points, goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, June 21st at 1pm sharp.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Matt Ross scored his 1300th all time VTHC regular season goal, scored his 1000th all time VTHC Stiga regular season goal, won his 400th all time VTHC regular season game and won his 300th all time VTHC Stiga regular season game.
-William Henne won his 100th all time VTHC Stiga regular season game.

Here are the all time awards won in the VTHC. Some historic trophies have been dusted off and brought back into the VTHC's awards plan moving forward. Below are the winners of the awards since the VTHC began operations in 2003.

Dominic Froome and William Henne went the full distance, in today's Gold Medal series, to cap a great day of Stiga Table Hockey in Vancouver! A series that needed seven games and three leads blown, in all, showed the VTHC onlookers what a great table hockey series can produce!

Dominic Froome would eventually win his third Gold Medal of the season, out scoring the always improving and Gold Medal contending William Henne, in a rematch of the May 24th Gold Medal series played almost one month ago. Both players had 2-0 leads in games they lost in this series and the total goals scored in the series saw Froome escape with a slim 19-18 edge in all seven games played. The deciding game a 2-1 cliff hanger that was more about defence and positioning rather than offence and high speed skill timing play goals. It was a terrific battle and proof that this Club is seeing players improve with each passing month. Center fintars a skill needed to be learned by the majority of players in the VTHC. Dominic Froome scored 12 of his 61 round robin goals via center fintar and has taken the needed steps to give his goal scoring production a boost. He's scored 43 of his 238 overall round robin goals via center fintar too. Other VTHC Cup Champion hopefuls would be wise to follow suite.

Speaking of improving players, there was Paul Lobley who won the Bronze today. he went 9-5-0 to win the Lower Tier round robin and saw his overall round robin record on the season top .500. Paul now has a 27-23-3 record good for a .509 winning percentage. He appears to have won his way back into the Upper Tier, when two tier is next needed, after slugging it out a couple of months in the Lower Tier. Paul had an impressive 56 goals for and a respectable 39 goals allowed on the day. He's earned his shot to battle it out in the tough upper tier schedule possibly in July. Paul defeated upstart Rick Thompson, in the Bronze Medal series, to take home 12 medal points and a firm grip on second overall in the 2014 VTHC Medal Points Standings.

Rick Thompson won his first ever playoff series defeating Matt Ross 2 games to 0. The second win needing overtime in a 6-5 thriller that saw Rick leading 3-1 with three minutes remaining only to see Matt battle back to take a 5-4 lead. Thompson then tied it up, with 9 seconds remaining, on an unintentional center fintar goal that was a clean swat of the puck, on the backhand, that got around the goalie and into the far side of the net. Thompson would then win this deciding game with a left D shot that found it's way through traffic for the winner. Thompson is showing improvements and is realizing that the best players play both offence and defence, at all times, both with and without the puck. Positioning, transitional quickness and quick shots off turnovers being defensive skills as much as offensive ones.

Chris Varila celebrated his 51st birthday with a playoff win too. A surprising 3-2 win over William Henne, in game one of the Quarter Finals, had Henne fighting to survive until the flood gates opened but for a moment, with Varila leading game two 1-0, the thought of a playoff birthday surprise was on the minds of a few today. Chris went 1-12-1, in the round robin, but hung in there all day and can probably whoop any novice player out there. The VTHC is a club that has solid players and no losing record, within the club, is deemed a failure. Varila understands this too. 6 VTHC players, in all, played today and only one mercy rule was needed in the round robin out of 42 total games played. Zero mercy rules were recorded in May too. So the hefty sized blow outs are few and far between moving forward.

*Two VTHC players departed the 2014 VTHC season after the April club date. They were: Warren Klotz, who amassed 31 medal points, went 21-4-0-.840 in the round robins, scored 134 goals for and 50 goals against with 5 shutouts while winning both a gold and a silver medal. Also Rob Adamovsky amassed 22 medal points, went 5-16-4-.200 in the round robins, scored 55 goals for and 108 goals against with 1 shutout.

*VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the medal points, goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, July 26th at 1pm sharp. (Saturday July 26th if Dosanjh, Yee and Capeau deem the Sunday undoable due to geographical logistics, early, the week of.)

An amendment to the 2014 VTHC Constitution is being launched upon the discussions between VTHC President Lobley and VTHC Vice Presidents Froome and Henne. A "double knock out" playoff approach to 6, 8 & 10 player dates will be incorporated moving forward in 2014. Also the 6 player round robin will be reduced to 9 games played per player, the 8 player reduced to 10 games per player and the 10 player reduced to 8 games per player making time for the additional Bronze medal playoff battles used in double knock out. Says VTHC VP Henne, who initiated the idea upon the others, "This will give the VTHC players more playoff situational practise and create more meaningful games throughout the day. Plus, who doesn't like a second chance once in a while."

The "double knock out" plan is a unanimous decision by the three man VTHC Committee. The scheme could be used as soon as the July date if 6, 8 or 10 players are on hand for VTHC action.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Dominic Froome scored his 2500th all time VTHC regular season goal, scored his 2000th all time VTHC Stiga goal and played his 500th all time VTHC Stiga game.
-William Henne scored his 500th all time VTHC Stiga goal.
-Paul Lobley scored his 400th all time VTHC regular season goal.
-Rick Thompson scored his 400th all time VTHC regular season goal and won his first VTHC medal points playoff series.
-Chris Varila won his first VTHC medal points playoff game.

William "The Hurricane" Henne joined the VTHC Gold Medal Club, today, by defeating Dominic Froome 4 games to 2 in the Gold Medal Series. Henne, pronounced Hen-eee, exploded for 6 goals in the final 80 seconds, of game six, to wipe out a 4-1 deficit and win the deciding game 7-4! Froome, who was sure he could come back from a 3 games to 1 Gold Medal Series deficit after some early series scoring struggles, was humbled and could only applaud William Henne's rise of prowess on the Stiga game via Vancouver Club play. William Henne has finally reached the top of Vancouver Table Hockey, as the new & defending Gold Medal Champion, and could only feel a true sense of accomplishment after fighting for so long to conquer this personal table hockey challenge.

After the Gold Medal Series loss Froome was quoted as saying: "It's good to get my feet back down on the ground, again, and feel a new sense of urgency to improve my game. I'll return and I'll be better in August! William deserves to enjoy this victory!" Henne will defend the Gold Medal Title on Saturday, August 23rd for the first time in his VTHC career.

Froome, who scored 17 center fintar goals in the 12 game round robin, including 7 of them in one game against Chris Varila, won today's round robin, going 11-1-0 and taking 2 of the 3 games against Henne. (Froome has scored 60, of his 298 overall round robin goals, via fintar, to become a VTHC "center move" ace.)

Paul Lobley went 6-6-0, in todays round robin, and maintained his above .500 status as an Upper Tier player by winning the Bronze Medal series over Rick Thompson 2 games to 0 today. Also, in the round robin, Paul needed overtime: twice to beat Rick. An indication that Rick Thompson is close to becoming a threat to win Bronze. Thompson plays a Coleco style, on the Stiga game, but is realizing that Stiga is a different reality and needs a different kind of table hockey strategy for Rick to find the best results possible in future VTHC action. Rick went 2-8-2, in the round robin, and topped Chris Varila, who struggled offensively with 15 goals scored in the 12 game round robin, and who finshed with a 1-11-0 record on the day. Here were all the round robin numbers:

Two VTHC players departed the 2014 VTHC season after the April club date. They were: Warren Klotz, who amassed 31 medal points, went 21-4-0-.840 in the round robins, scored 134 goals for and 50 goals against with 5 shutouts while winning both a gold and a silver medal. Also Rob Adamovsky amassed 22 medal points, went 5-16-4-.200 in the round robins, scored 55 goals for and 108 goals against with 1 shutout.

VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the medal points, goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, August 30th at 1pm sharp.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Dominic Froome scored his 2600th all time VTHC regular season goal and played his 700th all time VTHC regular season game.
-William Henne scored his 900th all time VTHC regular season goal.

With the Edmonton Centennial only two weeks away the VTHC held it's last formal club date before the road trip to Alberta. 5 players took part in games, including Matt Ross, who recently returned from a one month journey to Israel. A journey that's likely to see a minimal one year life changing move to Israel for the experienced VTHCer, Ross, who won his first silver medal on Saturday.

Matt Ross may have ended his VTHC career in fine style, on this day, knocking off defending Gold Medal champion William Henne in the Gold Semi Finals before taking on Dominic Froome for Gold. Ross beat Henne 3 games to 2 and scored what's becoming a patented "Matt Ross" goalie goal to reach the Gold Final. It was Matt's second goalie goal of the season and no one else has pulled the feat off this year. Goalie goals may be a Matt Ross signature that he can leave behind for the forseeable future if, indeed, Matt is off to Israel before the September 27th VTHC date is played. Also, Matt's going to try to pull off some last second plans to invade Edmonton, with the other travelling VTHCers, in the Edmonton Centennial this September 13th at West Edmonton Mall.

Ross would take game one of the day's Gold Medal Series, 5-4, before Froome rolled off four consecutive hard fought wins to take the Gold. Goaltending was the biggest reason why Froome won his 4th Gold Medal of the season as he was out shot, more often than not, in the games by Ross including by a count of 19-9 in the fifth and deciding game of the series. A game that saw Froome score 5 goals on 9 shots while Ross would score 2 goals on 19 shots. Shooting accuracy and shot speed being another factor that could be key to seeing the tables turn the other way when these two VTHC veterans do battle.

Froome was mostly shut down, offensively, throughout the series against Ross except for the classic RW to C high shot that was responsible for at least 10 of Froome's 18 Gold Medal series goals on the day. Froome, would also struggle with center moves scoring 8 of his 51 round robin goals by way of the center fintar today. He's now tallied 68 center move goals of his 349 overall round robin goals scored this season. Froome scooped up 11 medal points today and Matt Ross moved past Chris Varila in the VTHC medal points standings by winning 10 points today. Ross and Varila, who struggled all day to an 0-11-1 round robin record with only 9 goals scored and 53 allowed, are tied in the medal points standings but Ross gets the higher seeding due to a silver medal won on the season. (Along with the bronze he earned three months ago.)

William Henne struggled at times in the round robin feeling unexplainable jitters and fighting the puck at times. After stumbling out of the round robin gate, with a 3-4-0 record, William started to find his groove going 4-1-0 the rest of the way including beating Froome 4-3 in overtime with a nice RW shot to the short side of the goal before Froome could get over to cover it. A shot that had some air and needed a puck deflector to knock it down into the cut out goal cup. William, who won the Gold in July, may have experienced a decreased level of Gold fever, having being fed Gold feverishly in July. The true mark of a great player is to always have the hunger to win. William will learn to cope with these mental challenges as part of the process required for players to become repeat Gold Medal winners and to hoist the VTHC Cup one day.

Paul Lobley slipped to below .500 with a slightly sub par 4-8-0 round robin with an overall round robin record of 37-37-3-.481. Paul can score goals and did defeat Froome 5-3 in one of his Gold Semi Finals series games. Lobley will likely remain in the Upper Tier for September provided neither Matt Ross and Steve Crawford are in attendance and the player number, for the September 27th date, is an even one. Here were the round robin numbers for the day:

Two VTHC players departed the 2014 VTHC season after the April club date. They were: Warren Klotz, who amassed 31 medal points, went 21-4-0-.840 in the round robins, scored 134 goals for and 50 goals against with 5 shutouts while winning both a gold and a silver medal. Also Rob Adamovsky amassed 22 medal points, went 5-16-4-.200 in the round robins, scored 55 goals for and 108 goals against with 1 shutout.

VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the medal points, goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, September 27th @ 1pm sharp.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Dominic Froome scored his 2100th all time VTHC Stiga goal.
-William Henne scored his 600th all time VTHC Stiga goal and played his 400th all time VTHC regular season game.
-Chris Varila played his 100th all time VTHC regular season game.

The Vancouver Table Hockey Club sent three players to the 11th edition of the Edmonton Centennial in Edmonton and they represented the club in fine style. Not only in how they played, much of the day, but also in the debut of the official blue, green and white player jerseys of the VTHC. The three players in Edmonton, over the weekend, were Harvey Yee, wearing #10, Paul Lobley wearing #23 and team captain Dominic Froome wearing #22.

The tournament saw a field of 23 players, including ITHF President Bjarne Axelsen, who won the tournament and posted an all day record of 36-0-1. What a table hockey display, for those on hand at West Edmonton Mall to witness, as Axelsen chewed up the field including a four game sweep of Reggie Stefaniszyn in the Finals. Also Kevin Rafferty, from Anaheim, was in the player field and he showed well making it deep into the A group. With Captain Canada and event organizer Reggie Stefaniszyn there, Kent Richter and Dwayne Pankiw in the mix along with Phillippe Majerech and Kevin Giacobbo, the level of talent was high.

The Vancouver Table Hockey Club saw Dominic Froome (17-10-2) finish 4th, Harvey Yee (12-11-6) finish 12th and CTHA sanctioned tournament rookie and VTHC President Paul Lobley (9-16-3) finish 19th. Lobley won a C group third place trophy in becoming a better player on this day. He defeated ETHLer Bill Rothery 3 games to 1 in his third place C group series. Lobley was the top playoff seed heading into the C group playoffs. Combined the VTHC posted an overall round robin record of 38-37-11-.506 on the day. A winning record on the road can only be deemed a success and this experience has made these guys better players.

Dominic Froome upset powerhouse ETHLer Kent Richter in the A group quarter finals with a 4 games to 2 series victory. (2-1ot, 1-7, 4-3ot, 5-4, 2-4, 7-2) Froome was quoted as saying: "This is the biggest playoff accomplishment of my table hockey tournament career thus far. All of the practise really paid off for me, in this series, after a bad rash of bogus puck luck in the A group round robin phase of the tournament." Harvey Yee watched the sixth game and told Froome, "That's the best I've ever seen you play!" Paul Lobley videotaped the entire series too.

Froome would then advance to the Final Four table and be surrounded by immensely talented table hockey players in Bjarne Axelsen, Reggie Stefaniszyn and Dwayne Pankiw. Froome drew ITHF President Axelsen as his Semi Finals opponent. Froome would be swept by the undefeated Axelsen with the scores being: 5-1, 7-3, 7-4 & 3-1. A good showing by Froome and a loss that could only be described as "understandable" after it was over. "I gave it my best shot and hung with the 2014 Edmonton Centennial champion for much of games two and three. This has made me a better player." Froome would then play ETHLer Dwayne Pankiw for third place. The incredible hand and puck control speed of Pankiw was the worst possible style of play for Froome to play, at this stage of the tournament as fatigue had set in. I don't think there's a faster player at scooping up loose pucks than Dwayne Pankiw. Game one saw Pankiw jump out to a quick 3-0 lead after only 35 seconds before Froome would muster all the energy he still had to comeback and win 6-4. But the last three games were 3-2, 6-1 and 3-1 wins for Pankiw who exuded better late tournament stamina than Froome. Froome's 43 game day was over. (22-19-2-169-145-3.93-3.37-1)

Harvey Yee played the third place series for a B group trophy but ran into competent and experienced ETHLer Wes Miller. Harvey lost this series 3 games to 2 after playing an excellent B Group Semi Finals series against ETHLer Wil Wong. I'm told the series with Wong saw Harvey take a 3 games to 2 lead before Wong dug himself out of a bind to come back for the seven game series victory.

ETHLer Kevin Giacobbo won the B group after missing the A group by just one spot in the overall round robin standings. Give Giacobbo credit for taking this disappointment on the chin and hanging in there to finish strong on the day. Froome told me that Giacobbo embodies the spirit of the ETHL with his intense approach to games, on one hand, but with his very respectful and sportsmanlike character on the other hand.

The Vancouver Table Hockey Club recommends the West Edmonton Mall Inn for future Edmonton Centennial travellers to accommodate. Also Lobley tells me that the #747 bus to Century Park Transit Center transfer to the #23 West Edmonton Mall bus is a better travel option than the shuttles from airport to hotel trips. The transit system, in Edmonton, is flawless if you plan your routes in advance.

The VTHC players have only great things to say about Reggie Stefaniszyn. Along with Wil Wong these guys do an oustanding job of providing players with an event that puts table hockey in the best possible light on center stage at West Edmonton Mall. A "Stiga Dome" feel at West Edmonton Mall is how Froome sums up playing inside the circle. The Vancouver Table Hockey Club resumes action on Saturday, September 27th at 1pm sharp.

Matt "The Battler" Ross says good bye to the VTHC after winning the silver medal today! Matt Ross played an inspired day of VTHC table hockey as he parts ways for a new life in Israel. He went 8-4-0, in the round robin, before making it to the Gold Medal Series versus Dominic Froome. And he went down swinging in true Matt Ross fashion. Although swept by Froome, who had just returned from a table hockey marathon of games in Edmonton two weeks ago, Ross would lose three of these Gold Medal Series games by only one goal. (One of these games needing overtime to decide the winner.) The scores being 5-4, 6-2, 6-5OT and 4-3. Matt Ross leaves behind a VTHC table hockey legacy of battling tough until the end and never, ever giving up no matter what the score may be. Matt scored 2 more goalie goals, exiting the VTHC in fine style, bringing his total goalie goal tally to 4 on the season! Amazing! Competitive fire exuded in this example of a player that will do just about anything to find an edge in any game the battler is in! Here are Matt Ross's all time stats in the VTHC:

All Time Record of All VTHC Games Played:
(GP-W-L-OTL/T-.PCT-VTHC CUPS)
Matt Ross 490-253-212-25-.516-0

Dominic "Mr Clean" Froome had quite a day, too, going 11-1-0 in the round robin before going undefeated in the playoffs. An overall record of 18-1-0, on the day, saw Froome win his 5th Gold Medal of the 2014 VTHC season. He also scored his 400th round robin goal of the year and scored 3 of today's 51 round robin goals by way of center move. He now has 71 center move goals scored of his 401 overall round robin goals on the season. (17.7%) 0.798 fintar goals per game on average. Froome played stellar defence, all day giving up a meager 13 goals in 12 round robin games while recording 7 round robin shutouts on the day. (A VTHC round robin record.) Froome's round robin goals against average, on the day, a lowly 1.08 goals allowed per game.

William "The Hurricane" Henne would win today's Bronze Medal after beating VTHC President Paul Lobley 2 games to 0. William would lose the Semi Final series to Matt Ross 3 games to 2 in what was the best series of the day to watch. Another chapter in the Ross versus Henne rivalry that got started at the Cold FX Vancouver Tournament in 2013.

Rick "Sudsy" Thompson (18-42-5) showed improvements too. He went 2-9-1 in the round robin scoring a respectable 29 goals for on the day. He's transitioning from being a Coleco minded player to a Stiga player by taking more time with the puck and utilising the decrease in contested Stiga ice to maintain possession longer before launching the puck at his opponents' net. When Rick learns to be in better defensive position, while attacking opponents on offence, he will see more games start to go his way. The idea being that offence, defence, positioning and transition are all connected and as important as each other in becoming a consistent winner on the world famous Stiga game. A great day of table hockey was enjoyed by the 5 VTHC players who could make it today. Here were the round robin numbers on the day:

Two VTHC players departed the 2014 VTHC season after the April club date. They were: Warren Klotz, who amassed 31 medal points, went 21-4-0-.840 in the round robins, scored 134 goals for and 50 goals against with 5 shutouts while winning both a gold and a silver medal. Also Rob Adamovsky amassed 22 medal points, went 5-16-4-.200 in the round robins, scored 55 goals for and 108 goals against with 1 shutout. Also, Matt Ross departed the 2014 VTHC season after the September club date. He amassed 40 medal points, went 30-19-3-.577 in the round robins, scored 170 goals for and 133 goals against with 7 shutouts while winning two silvers and one bronze medal.

VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the medal points, goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player, +/- and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC resumes action on Saturday, October 25th @ 1pm sharp.

VTHC Milestones On This Day:
-Dominic Froome won his 400th all time VTHC Stiga regular season game, scored his 2700th all time VTHC regular season goal and played his 200th all time VTHC Medal Points playoff game.
-Matt Ross scored his 1100th all time VTHC Stiga regular season goal.
-Paul Lobley scored his 500th all time VTHC regular season goal, played his 200th all time VTHC regular season game and played his 100th all time VTHC Medal Points playoff game.

Matt, all the best to you in Israel! It would have been fun to play you before your departure ...next season perhaps??

Congratulations Dom, on your Gold medal placing! Based on your stats, the guys must experienced the Dominic that played in Edmonton, that is, a player that has reached a new, higher level of play. For Matt to hang in there with you with those scores, despite losing all four games in the final series, says a lot about his play too. Good going, Matt!

The VTHC 2014 regular season closed today in fine style! Dominic Froome, who posted the only undefeated round robin of 2014 today, won his 6th gold medal of the season by defeating William Henne: 4 games to 1. It was a series that saw Froome score the first goal in every game. A luxury that made it tough for the Hurricane to find solid ground. A series that saw Froome cap an outstanding regular season, winning the President's trophy, Medal points, goal scoring, goaltending and plus/minus awards. The VTHC Cup is all that remains for Froome to conquer on Saturday, November 29th at 1pm. Froome added 14 round robin center moves goals, today, to tally 85 of his 443 total round robin goals scored on the year. (19.2% of his round robin goals for a 0.86 fintar goal per game average.)

William Henne won his 3rd silver medal of the season and also snuck past Paul Lobley, in the medal points standings, to capture the 2nd playoff seed for the November 29th VTHC Cup playoffs by virtue of winning a gold and three silver medals. Lobley only winning bronze medals this season and playing one more club date made this race close to the end.

Andrew Capeau won the bronze medal today. His first ever VTHC medal. Capeau, who lives in Victoria close to Harvey Yee, could be a threat to compete for the VTHC Cup next month. He played his second club date of the 2014 season and defeated Lobley 2 games to 0 to win his first ever VTHC medal. Capeau is a solid player that ended up playing .500 in the 2014 round robin season going 11-11-0 overall. Capeau helped his playoff cause with today's bronze medal and scooping up 11 medal points today.

Rick Thompson finished fifth and VTHC rookie Farhad Tohidi finished sixth. For Tohidi, who played his debut as a VTHCer, it was a learning experience that saw him post much better than average numbers for a rookie in the VTHC. He scored 16 goals, gave up 37 although going a rookie standard 1-8-0 in today's round robin. Farhad appears to be a player that has a natural ability to play Stiga table hockey. His defence was better than most rookies can post in any round robin. Here were the round robin numbers on the day:

Two VTHC players departed the 2014 VTHC season after the April club date. They were: Warren Klotz, who amassed 31 medal points, went 21-4-0-.840 in the round robins, scored 134 goals for and 50 goals against with 5 shutouts while winning both a gold and a silver medal. Also Rob Adamovsky amassed 22 medal points, went 5-16-4-.200 in the round robins, scored 55 goals for and 108 goals against with 1 shutout. Also, Matt Ross departed the 2014 VTHC season after the September club date. He amassed 40 medal points, went 30-19-3-.577 in the round robins, scored 170 goals for and 133 goals against with 7 shutouts while winning two silvers and one bronze medal.

VTHC players must attain at least 5 dates played (DP) in order to win the medal points, goal scoring/goaltending, players choice, most improved player, +/- and President's Trophy awards. VTHC players, who've played one club date and paid their entry fees, in full, for the season qualify for the VTHC Cup playoffs. The VTHC Cup playoffs are on Saturday, November 29th @ 1pm sharp.

VTHC MILESTONES ON THIS DAY:
-Dominic Froome scored his 2200th all time VTHC Stiga regular season goal, won his 500th all time VTHC regular season game and recorded his 100th all time VTHC regular season shutout.
-William Henne scored his 1000th all time VTHC regular season goal and scored his 200th all time VTHC Medal Points playoff goal.
-Andrew Capeau won his first ever VTHC medal.
-Farhad Tohidi played his first ever VTHC game, won his first VTHC regular season game and scored his first VTHC regular season goal.

Dominic Froome capped a tremendous 2014 VTHC season, defeating William Henne 4 games to 1, winning his third VTHC Cup. It was a series that played out much closer than the five game count would indicate. Froome outscoring Henne by a narrow 13-12 count. The only overtime game saw Froome win 3-2 in game two. Henne led this game 2-0, early, before Froome would equalize late and then score an overtime goal with a right D shot that hit the left defender, then the right winger before bouncing into the net without direct intent. Not an overtime classic but Froome would take anything he could get against the always intense Hurricane who deployed a very disciplined box defense throughout most of the 2014 VTHC Cup Finals Series.

Henne, who can score goals in small windows of time, seemed to use most of the hurricane up in game three: scoring two quick goals in the opening 25 seconds then building up an impressive 5-0 lead before going on to win 6-2. But the last two series games were tight 2-1 wins, for Froome, who led with defense and backed it up with some clutch scoring late in both games. Defense often wins championships and this year was proof that defense is as important as offence. Froome led the VTHC, in goaltending all year, posting a regular season 1.70 goals against average and an amazing 26 shutouts from 98 upper tier or balanced schedule games played. (A VTHC regular season shutouts record.)

Froome's enjoyed his most dominant VTHC season, of all time, in 2014. Practice has been key. "I've really spent time on this game this year. If you want to become a top player, of Stiga table hockey, there are no short cuts. You have to spend time developing the skill parts of the game. Center moves. Timing plays. Defensive positioning that can lead to transitional goals are all developed with practice both mentally and physically. I'm living proof that if you spend the time you can become a solid force in Stiga table hockey. I've spent at least ten hours a week developing my game, in the evenings, after work and dinner, over the past year and a half. It's become part of my daily routine since I lost the 2012 VTHC Cup Final: 4 games to 0 to VTHC legend Warren Klotz."

Froome's "shocking" 2014 Edmonton Centennial Quarter Finals: 4 games to 2 victory, over Canada's ITHF number two ranked Kent Richter, may be an indication that practice is rewarding for any player that wants to progress with this game of Stiga Table Hockey. Respect of the game is key. That and an ability to separate confidence from negative results, in the battles that organized Stiga table hockey can offer a player. I'm sure Froome would concur. In fact we saw this kind of confidence exuded by Froome after his 6-2 game three loss to Henne. He simply stated, "It can happen to any player at any time playing a tough opponent." Froome let the negative events of this game simply fall away. Unfazed, Froome's defense dug in for the remainder of the series against "The Hurricane."

William "The Hurricane" Henne was voted as the most improved VTHC player, in 2014, winning the 2014 VTHC Stan Smyl Award. William, who has played for the VTHC Cup twice without success, is a definite contender to hoist the VTHC Cup in 2015. His defensive focus and positioning is intense and he can score goals quickly. William practises this game of Stiga Table Hockey as much as anybody in Vancouver, let alone all of North America. He's got the needed talent to win substantial ITHF points, on the road, to help the VTHC cause of seeing Vancouver become a tournament stop on the North American Stiga Tour in the future.

The most exceptional story, of the day, was Steve Crawford. He returned to the VTHC after a 7 month absence, due to logistical and scheduling complications all year, and knocked off Paul Lobley 4 games to 2 in the VTHC Cup Quarter Finals. Crawford, after absorbing a 4 games to 0 loss to Dominic Froome in the VTHC Cup Semi Finals deploying an experimental "goalie only" defence, bounced back and again defeated Paul Lobley, in the Third Place Semi Finals, 2 games to 1 (2-3 ,3-2, 3-2) and then Andrew Capeau, in the Third Place Finals, 2 games to 1 (2-1OT, 1-2, 1-0) to suggest to these VTHC full timers, that table hockey savy is learned from playing all other games, in North America, along with Stiga. (Stiga being the best challenge to pursue globally.) Crawford learned that a "goalie only" defense cannot work against players who've developed center move skills as Froome would score 5 center move goals, in game three of their VTHC Cup Semi Final series, going on to win this game 6-0 along with 10 center move goals in the entire series against Crawford. The concept of puck possession takes a back seat when the goalie is the only defense, in motion, until a loose puck can be contested for.

The other players to participate this day, in VTHC history, were VTHC President Paul Lobley, Andrew Capeau and Rick Thompson. Capeau showed the club how much he's improving and he's aiming to head up a Victoria Division for the 2015 VTHC Medal points race. The VTHC Cup playoffs then melding two groups into one VTHC medal points standings to form a playoff scheme hosted by the division with the medal points leader through eight 2015 regular season dates for each group. Capeau, along with Harvey Yee will need to find two more players to form a division of at least four players for the 2015 season. Four being the minimum number of players, required by the VTHC, for any new regional divisions to be formed in the future.

Paul Lobley finished 5th and was voted the VTHC Trevor Linden Award winner for his contributions to the VTHC this season! A terrific job hosting, beyond the April date this season, enjoyed by all VTHCers in 2015. Without President Lobley the 2014 VTHC season would have been a logistical nightmare.

It's been a season of transition in the VTHC. Paul Lobley's been a terrific host, for VTHC club dates, since the departure of out going VTHC President and player Warren Klotz back in April. The reason why the other VTHC players voted Lobley to win the VTHC Trevor Linden Award, for 2014, was officially known all season. Paul was key to seeing the VTHC advance into the future through 2014!

A VTHC season of skill development and ITHF point advancement, via a trip to the Edmonton Centennial for three VTHCers this year, was accomplished this season. 2015 will be a new chapter in VTHC history. Tournaments, divisional expansion, club play and player recruitment at the top of the agenda for the VTHC to pursue moving forward. The goal of becoming a tournament site is part of the long term vision for this group.

This table hockey reporter is burnt out and in need of a sunny vacation in the Bahamas. I need a margarita baby! Until next season I say take care and don't forget to live! Life is 100% void if you do not live within it! Thanks for following my table hockey reporting and I hope you'll stay with me next season too!

Dominic Froome capped a tremendous 2014 VTHC season, defeating William Henne 4 games to 1, winning his third VTHC Cup. It was a series that played out much closer than the five game count would indicate. Froome outscoring Henne by a narrow 13-12 count. The only overtime game saw Froome win 3-2 in game two. Henne led this game 2-0, early, before Froome would equalize late and then score an overtime goal with a right D shot that hit the left defender, then the right winger before bouncing into the net without direct intent. Not an overtime classic but Froome would take anything he could get against the always intense Hurricane! Henne, who can score goals in small windows of time, seemed to use most of it up in game three: winning 6-2. But the last two games were tight 2-1 wins, for Froome, who led with defense and backed it up with some clutch scoring late in both games. Defense wins championships and this year was proof that defense is as important as offence. Froome led the VTHC, in goaltending all year, posting a regular season 1.70 goals against average and an amazing 26 shutouts. (A VTHC regular season shutouts record.)

Froome's enjoyed his most dominant VTHC season, of all time, in 2014. Practice has been key. "I've really spent time on this game this year. If you want to become a top player, of Stiga table hockey, there are no short cuts. You have to spend time developing the skill parts of the game. Center moves. Timing plays. Defensive positioning that can lead to transitional goals are all developed with practice both mentally and physically. I'm living proof that if you spend the time you can become a solid force in Stiga table hockey. I've spent at least ten hours a week developing my game, in the evenings, after work and dinner has been enjoyed, over the past year and a half. It's become part of my daily routine since I lost the 2012 VTHC Cup Final 4 games to 0 to VTHC legend Warren Klotz."

Froome's "shocking" 2014 Edmonton Centennial Quarter Final: 4 games to 2 victory, over Canada's ITHF number two ranked Kent Richter, may be an indication that practice is rewarding for any player that needs to progress in this game. Respect of the game is key. That and an ability to separate ego from negative results, in the battles that organized Stiga table hockey can offer a player, is vital. I'm sure Froome would concur.

The most exceptional story, of the day, was Steve Crawford. He returned to the VTHC after a 7 month absence, due to logistical and scheduling complications all year, and knocked off Paul Lobley 4 games to 2 in the VTHC Cup Quarter Finals. He, after absorbing a 4 games to 0 loss to Dominic Froome in the VTHC Cup Semi Finals, bounced back and defeated Paul Lobley, in the third place semi finals, 2 games to 1 (2-3 ,3-2 , 3-2) and then Andrew Capeau, in the third place final,(2-1OT, 1-2, 1-0) to suggest to these VTHC full timers, that table hockey savy is learned from playing all other games, in North America, along with Stiga. (Stiga being the best challenge to pursue globally.)

The other players to participate this day, in VTHC history, were VTHC President Paul Lobley, Andrew Capeau and Rick Thompson. Capeau showed the club how much he's improving and he's aiming to head up a Victoria Division for the 2015 VTHC Medal points race. The VTHC Cup playoffs then melding two groups into one VTHC medal points standings to form a playoff scheme hosted by the division with the medal points leader through eight 2015 regular season dates for each group. Capeau, along with Harvey Yee will need to find two more players to form a division of at least four players for the 2015 season. Four being the minimum number of players, required by the VTHC, for any new regional divisions to be formed in the future. Paul Lobley finished 5th and was voted the VTHC Trevor Linden Award winner for his contributions to the VTHC this season! A terrific job hosting, beyond the April date this season, enjoyed by all VTHCers in 2015. Without President Lobley the 2014 VTHC season would have been a logistical nightmare.

It's been a season of transition in the VTHC. Paul Lobley's been a terrific host, for VTHC club dates, since the departure of out going VTHC President and player Warren Klotz back in April. The reason why the other VTHC players voted him to win the VTHC Trevor Linden Award, for 2014, was officially confirmed today. Paul was key to seeing the VTHC advance into the future through 2014!

A VTHC season of skill development and ITHF point advancement, via a trip to the Edmonton Centennial for three VTHCers this year, was accomplished this season. 2015 will be a new chapter in VTHC history. Tournaments, divisional expansion, club play and player recruitment at the top of the agenda for the VTHC to pursue moving forward. The goal of becoming a tournament site is part of the long term vision for this group.

This table hockey reporter is burnt out and in need of a sunny vacation in the Bahamas. I need a margarita baby! Until next season I say take care and don't forget to live! Life is 100% void if you do not live within it! Thanks for following my table hockey reporting and I hope you'll stay with me next season too!

Hello Mr Krol! Froome asked me to thank you for your congratulatory message. He adds that he's aiming to be in SoCal in late January barring any unforseen developments. (This guy is too cheap to buy a new computer! Can you believe it?! I've had to put aside my dusty old typewriter to compensate!) I'm out the door and headed to the airport! Bahamas here I come!

Johnny Canuck
Bikinis & Bahamas Bound Baby

Last edited by Johnny Canuck on Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:10 pm; edited 2 times in total